Harry is bang on in this post about Jonny Come Lately cricket fans:

Its begining to feel like football became after Italia '90 and Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch. All these people talking excitedly about 'Freddy' - I can't believe they all knew who he was last year. All these people making sure you know they are really desperate to know the Test score. Yeah right. I bet you were all Arsenal fans three years ago.

And how many 'fans' does the England rugby union team have now? Remember 'Johnny'?

Fear not old school cricket lovers - it won't last. As the fate of the England rugby union team shows - a few setbacks will see off the fairweather fans and if that doesn't happen we are going to stop them watching anyway.

I bought my Oval tickets last year, and am eagerly awaiting a fantastic 5 (more likely 4, if the rest of the series is anything to go by) days in just over a week. There is, of course, nothing wrong with new fans enjoying cricket - quite the opposite. It's imperative that new fans are made - and it's terrific that this series will have introduced lots of people to the joys of Test cricket. But there is a problem when crowds introduce entirely alien behaviour, as one of Harry's commenters spells out:

As a lifelong cricket fan i think its great that people are finally into cricket, but what I really am starting to get frustrated with is the increased footballisation of the game. I dont like the rediculous chanting and negative atmousphere. even in 2003 the crowd were not so partisan. I first noticed it last year when i went to the lords test against the West Indies where, for the first time in my life, i felt intimidated by "cricket" fans. Being, primarily an Indian fan, I have seen many matches in India, particularly at my "home" ground of Eden gardens in Kolkata (Calcutta). Even there, where evey man jack of them are Indian fans, people applaud opposition batsmen, and certainately dont boo them. An example is last year when Warne became the highest wicket taker in Bangalore, thewhole stadium stood up and applauded him. I cannot believe that here the likes of warne and McGrath have been booed.